The Three-Step Affirmations Formula
Affirm what you're committed to, why it's a must, and the actions you'll take — not wishful lies.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 3
- Confidence
- 93%
Elrod's Three-Step Affirmations Formula rebuilds affirmations around truth, meaning, and action. The two reasons affirmations usually fail are that they lie to you (affirming 'I am wealthy' when your balance is negative) and that flowery passive language produces no results. Instead, you affirm what you are committed to, then articulate why it is a must, then name the specific actions you will take and when. Read daily with conviction, this programs the subconscious and directs behavior. Elrod applies the same formula to every goal and every role in his life.
Origin
Affirmations felt goofy to Elrod when he started the Miracle Morning in 2008 — associated with the Stuart Smalley SNL skit and 'money magnet' clichés. Over 17 years of study he diagnosed why they fail and rebuilt them into a truth-and-commitment formula, later crediting the resulting cancer-focused affirmations with saving his life.
Core principles
- 01Affirmations must be rooted in truth — lying to yourself creates internal conflict.
- 02Flowery, passive language ('money flows to me effortlessly') produces no results.
- 03You get what you're committed to, not what you merely want.
- 04What you affirm repeatedly becomes your internal reality.
- 05The only way to fail is to live out of integrity with what you affirm.
How to run it
- 1
Affirm what you're committed to
State a commitment rather than a false present-tense claim. 'I'm committed to becoming wealthy' or 'I'm committed to earning X this year' — 'I am committed to ___ no matter what. There is no other option.'
Pro tip The commitment can be to an outcome (earn X) or a habit (exercise 20 minutes, 5 days a week).
Watch out Never affirm something factually untrue as if it were true — it creates internal conflict and delusion.
- 2
State why it's a must
Write 3-5 reasons the commitment is meaningful — why it matters for you personally, for your family, community, company, and the world. These reasons are the fuel that keeps you going when motivation dips.
Pro tip On days you don't feel like it, reading the 'why' reconnects you to a reason bigger than your mood.
- 3
Name the actions and when
Specify exactly which actions you will take to make the commitment real, and when you will take them, turning the affirmation into a directive for behavior.
Pro tip Cross-check the actions against your actual schedule so nothing you affirmed is missing from the day.
In the wild
Diagnosed with a 30% survival prognosis, Elrod wrote: 'I'm committed to beating cancer no matter what,' followed by reasons for his wife, children, and parents, and the specific holistic and Western medical actions he would take. He read them every day.
→ After a few weeks, dying was no longer a possibility in his mind; he credits the affirmations with helping save his life and is now cancer-free.
Common mistakes
Affirming wishful lies
Saying 'I am wealthy' while overdrawn fights reality and functions like a band-aid over the root cause, producing internal conflict instead of results.
Using flowery passive language
'Money flows to me effortlessly and in abundance' feels good momentarily but kills motivation and delivers no action — it's a pill that covers reality rather than changing it.
Is it for you?
Best for
Goal-oriented people who found traditional affirmations hollow and want a version tied to commitment and action.
Not ideal for
Those looking for pure feel-good mantras with no accountability or action component.
From the transcript
“Say, 'I'm committed to becoming wealthy,' or, 'I'm committed to earning specifically this amount of money this year.' Commit to a habit or an outcome.”
“The only way you can fail to achieve everything you want in your life is to live out of integrity with what you're affirming every…”
From the episode
Hal Elrod: Miracle Morning Habits for Peak Productivity and Business Success| Productivity| E354
Hal Elrod